"Madame" has been after me to share what we do in the kitchen, so here goes!
I have a passion for preparing and serving great food. I have a goal of getting a great meal on the table every evening in around 45 minutes - the time it takes when I get the phone call that "Madame" is leaving work until the time we eat. I look for fresh ingredients - in season, supplemented with herbs, peppers, and very occasional tomatoes from the garden.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

I was setting up yesterday morning to make bread. That was going to be a white loaf with a little pasta flour to give some extra texture and richness. I was planning to use Hodgson Mills pasta flour because it was what my local grocery store had. Imagine my surprise when a newly opened package of pasta flour had all manner of critters in it. Below is my letter to Hodgson Mills.

All,

I called yesterday (Saturday) to describe an issue with one of your products. This mail is just to provide detail that I didn't have handy when I called. To recap, I bought a 2lb package of your "Golden Semolina $ extra fancy durum Pasta Flour" from my local Tom Thumb store a couple of weeks ago. In my phone message I said I couldn't find the lot number on the package. Since then I have found it. It says 0124091 on the top of the package. The issue was that when I opened it to incorporate it into some bread, there was - in the first 1/2 cup that I poured 1 winged insect (probably around 3mm across) and some stick like things - each about 5mm long. The stick like things were about the color of cinnamon bark.

I immediately poured that 1/2 cup of flour into a sealed plastic bag to to return the contents to Tom Thumb. On viewing the product through the window of the package, I see at least one more flying insect and several more of the stick like things and some wiggling larvae - at least that's what they look like. Tom Thumb, of course, did the right thing and refunded my money. I kept the package of flour, wrapped in a zip lock bag so that when you call me, I can fully describe what the packaging looks like, etc.

This is the second time that I have had issues with this flour. I generally keep my flour products in sealed plastic containers to prevent odors, bugs, etc. On a previous occasion, I had the remains (probably around 1/2 lb) of a package stored in a sealed container. When I came to use it in a bread mixture, it had little holes in the surface and on further inspection some of the same wiggly things that I saw in the current package. I thought with the first package that I might have done something to contribute to the issue, but the second, unopened batch convinced me that the problem was likely to be at the production/distribution end and not in my house.

The store at which I bought the product was the Tom Thumb store in the 75038 zip code.

Thanks for getting in touch. I have already had the refund from Tom Thumb, so there is nothing to worry about there. If I may make a suggestion - it isn't obvious that the product should be kept refrigerated. It may be on the box, I honestly can't remember. I do know that I have never seen that recommendation before - especially on a product that has yet to be opened. Sp, the recommendation is to say something on the packaging - make it clear that because it is an entirely natural product, it should be refrigerated. If it is possible that the infestation occurred in the store, then I would expect that you would take that up with the store. After all it is your product's reputation that can be hurt by this.

While I do like to but natural/organic products in general, I am very leery of buying products from Hodgson Mill in the future. My 2 experiences have left too much doubt in my mind.

Thank you for your call. I'm sorry for the disappointment you had with Hodgson Mill Semolina Pasta Flour. We have no preservatives or additives in our products. It is best to store in the refrigerator or the freezer to keep fresh and extend shelf life. We do not know where the infest occurred, could be the warehouse or even the store. I can send you two replacement coupons or a refund. If a refund is requested, please send the amount of purchase.